Japanese are known as bath-loving people. People love to take a bath, ‘Ofuro’ in Japanese, all year round regardless of hot or cold season.
Onsen – hot spring
Must be most well-known issue when it comes to Japanese bath culture. It actually is a very popular destination of the short trip in Japan. Onsen is just everywhere in the country, even in the middle of the metropolitan Tokyo!
But without taking a trip, people still enjoy taking bath at their home every day.
No bathtub, No way!
Japanese housings, however small it might be, hardly miss to have a bath tub installed – not shower facility only.
Every day the tub is filled with cosy hot water and people soak their body into it, the maximum relaxation at home.
Usually, bath salts are used to soften the water and to moisturise the skin in addition to provide the pleasant scent of your choice. In fact, there is a huge selection of bath salt available in the market.
For hot season, you can have a bath salt which gives you cooling effect and for cold time, you would like the one which provides lasting warming effect. Either way, dipping yourself into the water is extremely relaxing.
There are traditions of seasonal bathing programme.
Bath with syobu (sweet flag)
For example, on 5th May, the national holiday called Children’s day, people put a bundle of sweet flag leaves into the bath. It is believed to invite health strength prior to the approaching hot summer time.
Bath with "Yuzu"
On the day of the winter solstice, citrus fruits called ‘Yuzu’ will be thrown into the bathwater. This is believed to protect you from catching cold during the Japan’s cold winter.
Whatever it is, there’s no doubt that these have wonderful aromatherapeutic effects.
